[croon]

In many cases maybe. Personally I would love to play a game with a world inhabited by "individual" NPC AI:s, where they can influence the world as much as I can, with no specific act structure or story arc.

Some significant part of gaming is risk-free experimentation in a simulated world. The experiments possible are bounded by the simulation quality of the world. More realistic NPC behavior would open up for a lot more games.

[goostavos]

There is an older game called STALKER which had (limited) elements of what you describe: autonomous NPCs which influence the game world. Even though it was limited, the NPCs just battled for control of certain territories, I always thought it was a really neat mechanic. It made the world feel more 'real' and alive.

You would see these factions fighting and gaining/losing territory throughout the game. You could chose to help them or just pass on by, but the actions progressed regardless of your choice.